UFC 291 Co-Main Event Breakdown

Saturday night, Vivint Arena, the home court to the NBA"s Utah Jazz, plays host to UFC 291. Live coverage of the marquee event begins with the early prelims at 6:30 pm ET/ 3:30 pm PT on UFC Fight Pass and ESPN+. ESPN proper joins the coverage in progress at 7 pm ET/ 4 pm PT.

Late prelims follow at 8 pm ET/ 5 pm PT on ESPN and your local ABC  station, all leading up to the main card at 10 pm ET/ 7 pm PT on ESPN+ pay-per-view. If you"re not going to be near a television set for the card, selected movie theater chains will be running UFC 291 on the big screen.

All told, the final version of UFC 291 features a full 12-fight schedule, absent of any postponements. The night"s itinerary is capped by two key contests, beginning with the UFC 291 co-main event.

Crucial Battle at Light Heavyweight in UFC 291 Co-Main Event

Your co-headliner has become a critical affair at 205 lbs. No. 2 contender Jan Blachowicz (29-9-1 MMA, 12-6-1 UFC) makes the walk to the cage for the 40th time when he takes on third-ranked Alex Pereira (7-2 MMA, 4-1 UFC), the former GLORY Kickboxing Middleweight Champion.

TWO DAYS OUT #UFC291 pic.twitter.com/D4xaNn2Dil

— UFC (@ufc) July 28, 2023

This UFC 291 co-main event will be an advertised maximum of three rounds at five minutes per round. Immediately following is the battle for the BMF Belt between Dustin Poirier (29-7, 1 NC MMA, 21-6, 1 NC UFC) and Justin Gaethje (25-4 MMA, 7-4 UFC).

UFC 291 Co-Main Event Fighter Comparison and Betting Odds

Heading into the UFC 291 co-main event on Saturday night, Alex Pereira stands as the taller man at 6-foot-4, compared to the 6-foot-2 frame of Jan Blachowicz. Pereira owns a one-inch reach advantage (79 inches to 78 inches) over Blachowicz, while both men are level in leg reach (44 inches apiece.)

As of Thursday night, the oddsmakers have this fight listed as a pick-"em. Both fighters are -110 favorites on the money line. If you plan on betting on this or any other fight happening this weekend, please wager responsibly.

Jan Blachowicz Looking to Get Back in the Win Column in UFC 291 Co-Main Event

Jan Blachowicz enters the UFC 291 co-main event having posted a record of 3-1-1 in his last five fights. At the present time, he"s on a two-fight unbeaten streak.

Back in December he and Magomed Ankalaev (18-1-1 MMA, 9-1-1 UFC) to a split draw in UFC 282"s main event. While it won"t be for the belt this time around, Blachowicz has been informed that the championship will be on the line next time. Prior to the show, now-former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Jamahal Hill was forced to give up the strap due to injury.

“Nothing changed," Blachowicz said in his pre-fight press conference. “Jamahal Hill, he left the belt. I wish you a very fast recovery. My next opponent will be, I don"t know, maybe (Jiri) Prochazka and we"re going to fight for the title, so we"ll see. But now, I only focus about Saturday, I don"t think about that. After the fight, you can talk about [the] next step."

Blachowicz has to take this one moment at a time. If he wins the UFC 291 co-main event, he"ll have earned that title shot.

Pereira Praises Blachowicz Ahead of UFC 291 Co-Main Event

In the other corner, Alex Pereira has gone 4-1 since joining the UFC. On April 8, he sustained his first defeat under the promotional banner, a second-round knockout (counter right) versus Israel Adesanya (24-2 MMA, 13-2 UFC.)

Saturday"s co-headliner marks “Poatan"s" return to 205 lbs. after having spent the entirety of his MMA  life as a middleweight. On Wednesday, he had kind words for his adversary.

“We talk about Jan Blachowicz, former champ, he"s a strong guy," Pereira said through his translator. “He"s a complete fighter. I trained super hard for this fight. I have our strategy, so let"s go."

The time for pleasantries has come and gone. What"ll happen when the cage door closes?

Analysis, Film Study, and Prediction

Stylistically, the UFC 291 co-main event looks to favor Jan Blachowicz, a first-degree black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, compared to Alex Pereira"s brown belt in BJJ and black belt in kickboxing.

Look for Blachowicz to Land Punches in Bunches

Jan Blachowicz is a proven striker, something that Luke Rockhold found out firsthand a few years ago. During the second round of a scheduled three, after Rockhold was knocked down at the horn to end round one,  Blachowicz pieced Rockhold up with kicks.

After the latter initiated a clinch, the former landed some elbows and kicks to the body. From there, he attempted to take Rockhold down, but changed his mind and landed a left-handed punch to knock him out on contact.

All it takes is one punch to end this. If one punch from Blachowicz lands on-target, the UFC 291 co-main event is a done deal.

Pereira Has Great Punches, Too

In the other corner, don"t discount Alex Pereira"s punching ability. Just ask Sean Strickland.

Round one of their fight saw the two men stalk each other and throw feints, with Pereira landing low leg kicks. Smelling blood in the water, he scored with a left hook to knock Strickland down.

Another brief flurry of punches ended the show right then and there. Look for Pereira to land a crisp punch in the UFC 291 co-main event.

Final Thoughts

While it might be a light heavyweight affair in the co-main, the mantra for heavyweight fights applies here, too: Don"t look away from the screen. You might miss everything.

Prediction: Alex Pereira by First-Round TKO.